Chalk artist Cynthia Kostylo of Vista draws a sunflower at the starting line of Saturday’s Finish Chelsea’s Run. Go to

The sun was out. So were the sunflowers.

On Saturday, Balboa Park was awash in bright flowers and even brighter spirits, as thousands of people poured in for Finish Chelsea’s Run, the 5K Run/Walk dedicated to the memory of Poway teen Chelsea King.

According to estimates from organizers, close to 6,000 people participated in the charity run, which benefits the Chelsea’s Light Foundation and its Sunflower Scholarship Fund. And from the scholarships to the booth selling sunflowers (Chelsea’s favorite) and the racing-bib numbers laced with ready-to-plant wildflower seeds, the day was filled with the promise of renewal. It was also a tribute to the legacy of a girl whose spirit was as buoyant as the cheery flowers she loved.

“Last year, the race gave me so much hope,” Chelsea’s father, Brent King, said Friday. “It gave me hope for an engaged community. It gave me hope for the kids that are going to be able to go to college. It’s a powerful experience being here. I get to focus on all of the positives that we have witnessed over the last few years.”

The roots of Finish Chelsea’s Run are planted deep in the hearts of San Diegans. The race began in March 2010, when local runners met at the Rancho Bernardo Community Park to complete the run the athletic Poway High School senior had started when she was attacked and killed by convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III just weeks before. Gardner later admitted to murdering Chelsea and 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido. He is serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole.

More than 3,500 people showed up for that first run, and the outpouring of support convinced Brent and his wife, Kelly, to turn a spontaneous community event into something more official. They organized the charity run in honor of their daughter.

Last year’s inaugural charity run attracted more than 5,000 people and raised $110,000, enough for 10 “Sunflower Scholarships,” which were awarded to local students who shared Chelsea’s dedication to academics, school activities and volunteerism.

One of those scholarships went to Jenna Belknap, a high-school friend of Chelsea’s who came down from UCLA to participate in Saturday’s run and to bask in the warmth of an event that honors her friend in such a life-affirming way.

“Chelsea was one of those people that whenever I was with her, I wanted to soak in everything she was saying. She had such a vibrant personality,” said the 19-year-old Belknap, who also attended Poway High School. “The fact that so many people came together for this one event, it truly is inspirational.”

After the race, participants gathered in the park to listen to music by the Makepeace Brothers, pick up freebies from the many corporate sponsors (which included U-T San Diego), paint free flowerpots and have their photos taken in front of a wall of painted sunflowers. Or they could just look at the blue sky and the bright flowers and know that they were in the right place for the best of reasons.

“This gives people a place to come together and heal together,” said teacher Lori Adour of Bernardo Heights Middle School in Rancho Bernardo, which had one of the race’s biggest teams. “We took all of our bibs and we’re going to plant them on campus so that we will always be reminded of Chelsea.”